Dear pilgrim to Holy Mountain or curious reader of this page!
Updated changes on May 7: on Thursday, May 29, pilgrims on the main route will sleep
in Kamýk instead of in Krásná Hora (changes are in red text)
We invite you at the end of May 2025 to the 9th walking pilgrimage from Mladá Vožice and from other locations to Holy Mountain. Come with us along the paths and trails among blooming meadows, in prayer, song, and silence, but above all come to spend a few days with good people on the way to Our Lady of the Holy Mountain. You can slow down the pace of your life, reflect on how, where, and with whom you live, and put your worries and joys into prayer. We offer you to step out of the comfort of your existence so you can assess what you really need and what is only pleasant or unnecessary in your life.
This experience seems to have significance, as we have around 30 pilgrims every year since 2017, and each day, more join us, so on the last day we always walk through the forest to Holy Mountain with over 60 – and the number of pilgrims does not decrease. We come from many parishes, not only from the organizing Roman Catholic parish of Mladá Vožice, but from various corners of our country, of all ages and professions, we feel close to each other and happily meet throughout the year. And as new pilgrims say (only they can evaluate it😊), we know how to accept even those who are walking with us for the first time.
We prepare the pilgrimage similarly as in previous years, with a new long-distance branch from Borovany.
The spiritual program of the pilgrimage will be led by Father Vojtěch Blažek, information about practical matters on the pilgrimage can now be found here, or call in the evening at 777 016 089 – Helena Knotková,
for branch 5 in Borovany at 603 208 460 – Jiří Klimeš.
What will you learn here?
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What are the routes of the pilgrimage?
You can walk the whole pilgrimage with us or just some days or walk with us just a bit. For all departures, we recommend arriving 15 minutes earlier, so we have time to greet each other, get acquainted, take a look around… we leave on time.
Main route from Mladá Vožice to Holy Mountain has the following parts:
Wednesday, May 28, Mladá Vožice –> Sedlec (30 km): Church of St. Martin: 6:50 - 7 am blessing and departure, Sedlec mass at 5:15 pm.
Thursday, May 29, Sedlec –> Kamýk nad Vltavou (25.5 km): Church of St. Jerome: 6:50 - 7 am blessing and departure, mass in Kamýk at 5 pm.
Friday, May 30, Kamýk -> Milín (24 km): in front of the primary school in Kamýk: 6:50 - 7 am blessing and departure, on the way mass at 12 pm on Maková hora – this time remains.
Saturday, May 31, Milín -> Holy Mountain (8 km): in front of the primary school: 5:40 - 5:50 am blessing and departure, arriving at Holy Mountain at 8:30 am, mass at 9 am
Led by Helena Knotková (tel. 777 016 089) and Father Vojtěch Blažek (602 762 604).
The following branches will join the main route:
1.branch from Lukavce and Pacov to Mladá Vožice (31 and 24 km) – Tuesday, May 27, led from Lukavce by František Pinkas (tel. 723184293), departure at 6 am from the Church of St. Wenceslas in Lukavce, blessing in Pacov around 8 am in the Church of St. Michael, will arrive in Mladá Vožice and the next day join the main route.
2.branch from Jistebnice to Sedlec (15 km) - Wednesday, May 28, Church of St. Michael - at 10:15 am blessing, joint lunch, and departure afterward, will meet with the Vožice group at the crossroad above Šanovice, led by Marie Bendová (tel. 776096156) and Father Pavel Němec.
3.branch from Milevsko to Krásná Hora (25 km) – Thursday, May 29., Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (monastery) - at 7 am blessing and departure, mass at 6 pm in Krásná Hora, will sleep in Krásná Hora in community center, will join the main route the next day on Maková hora, led by Marie Smrčinová (732658269).
4.branch from Klučenice to Milín (24 km) – Friday, May 30, from the Church of St. John the Baptist – departure at 7 am.
5.long-distance branch from Borovany – May 24 - 31, all the way to Holy Mountain 180 km, will join on May 29 in Milevsko on branch 3, led by Jiří Klimeš, information and registrations with him - 603 208 460, spiritual guidance by Father Jaroslav Karas. Experienced pilgrims can walk this entire long-distance route or combine different days with other branches, check the separate poster.
Program at Holy Mountain:
8:30 am welcome at the Marian column, 9 am mass, group photo, 10:45 am lunch, free program, 1 pm farewell at the Marian column.
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At what time can you meet us on the way?
At what time can you meet us on the way?Expected times on the main route:Wednesday, May 28. Ml. Vožice, church 6:50 Buková, chapel 8:15 Křtěnovice 8:45 Mutice 9:10 Horní Střítež 9:30 Mitrovice 11:00 Mezno, lunch 11:30-12:20 Střezimíř 13:10 Větrov 13:40 D. Dobřejov 14:15 Včelákova Lhota 14.50 Na Františku 15:25 Vrchotice 15:35 crossroad, meeting 15:55 Šanovice 16:20 Sedlec, mass. 17:00 Thursday, May 29. Sedlec, church 6:50 chapel Ježovka 7:35 Kvasejovice, outskirts 8:00 Malkovice 8:25 Zadní Boudy 8:40 Úlehle 8:45 Přední Boudy 8:55 Trkov 1 0:30-11:00 Rovina 11:55 Vysoký Chlumec, lunch 12:30-13:20 Hrabří 14:25 Svatý Jan 15:20 Brzina 15:50 Kamýk, church 16:45 mass. 17:00 Friday, May 30. Kamýk, school 6:50 Zduchovice 8:35 Bukovec 8:50 Nepřejov 9:30 Na Hrachovce 8:50 Horní Líšnice 10:10 Maková hora, mass. 12:00 Smolotely, lunch 13:40-14:20 Parník 14:45 Hamr 15:05 Drsník 15:30 Radětice 16:10 Milín, school 17:35 Saturday, May 31. Milín, at school 5:30-5:50 Slivice, church 6:20 Konětopy 6:35 Sázky 7:45 Holy Mountain welcome at the Marian column 8:30 mass at the Coronation altar 9:00 farewell at the Marian column 1:00 pm -
How is the pilgrimage organized, how to register, how much to pay?
Support vehicle:
On the main route, we will have again two vehicles: a snack vehicle for food, and a van that will transport luggage for sleeping. Both vehicles can also serve tired pilgrims.
Food arrangement:
For the pilgrims, we will prepare simple communal breakfasts (spreads, bread, pastries, tea, coffee in your cup - please take it with you in your backpack!!!). For those of you who wish, we have arranged soup with bread in restaurants along the way and dinner at the school in Krásná Hora. At Holy Mountain, it is possible to have lunch in the baroque rooms of the monastery. Diets are not provided.
On the first day in Sedlec and the second day in Kamýk (with the Milevsko branch in Krásná Hora), dinner is not provided (there is a shop open in the square until 7 pm, cooking in the brewery Vítek from Prčice, or take food with you). Dinner in Milín at the school is not yet certain until May 15; they do not have cooks. However, there will be an option to eat at the Restaurant in Milín (it will be almost on the way at the gas station, nothing is open in Milín in the evening now).
Have something small in your backpack just in case you need to replenish your energy. Snacks will be provided by our magical support vehicle full of salty and sweet items, which will be brought by good people, whether they are the pilgrims themselves or parishioners along the way. Thank you for all the treats.
Accommodation and luggage transportation arrangements:
Sleep in your own sleeping bag and on a mat with the possibility of washing will be as in Sedlec, in Kamýk and in Milín usually in schools, there are a few places at the rectory in Sedlec and in Pacov. Before and after the pilgrimage, it is possible to stay in Mladá Vožice in newly renovated rooms for pilgrims, where it is also possible to park cars in the yard.
They started renovating the restrooms at Krásná Hora, but we will remain loyal to them because for the people from Milevsko the journey to Kamýk would greatly extend. We arranged sleeping in classrooms there and we will wash ourselves in sinks.
Things for sleeping will be transported by a van on the main route. It is necessary to minimize luggage to a sleeping bag, mat, and 1 small (!!!) piece of luggage. Many have learned this already, and we greatly thank you for it. Take everything else with you in your backpack.
You will arrange luggage transport on the side branch individually with your leader.
What to definitely bring in your backpack?
Necessary water bottle (min. 1 liter) and mug for tea. From other essentials, we remind you: raincoat, blister plaster, medications, pilgrimage songbook from previous years, energy bar – a small snack. For the sleeping bag and mat, pack light shoes for changing into at schools (or socks), hygienic necessities in small packaging, and earplugs.
We recommend poles.
Pilgrim, think about your equipment, leave the nonsense at home, after all, one really needs very little to live.
Registrations for the pilgrimage and payment method:
call from May 5 to May 11 from 7 pm to 9 pm. + pay into the account by May 13.
To register for the pilgrimage, call Helena Knotková – 777 016 089 between May 5 and May 11 from 7 pm to 9 pm. You will say where you start and where you are going, where you will be sleeping, what food you want to be arranged. At the same time, we will calculate the money that you will send by Tuesday, May 13, to account number 6179081003/5500 (as last year) created to ensure the operation of our pilgrimage. When paying, please include your name in the payment note – otherwise we will not know who has paid.
Pilgrims on branch 5 from Borovany will register from May 5 to May 11 from 7 pm to 9 pm. with Jiří Klimeš - 603 208 460, Father Karas will only register his parishioners.
Why register by phone? Pilgrims know from where and to where they want to go, but due to connecting branches, it is difficult for many to orient themselves in the possibilities of meals, transportation, etc. - phone calls will eliminate any doubts.
How much and for what will the pilgrim pay?
Food: In advance, we will collect money only for food arranged on the main route. Soups on side branches will be paid in cash on site at the restaurant (marked "paid by each one") and we will only keep track of their number.
Tuesday, May 27. soup at the resort Blatnice – paid by each one (branch from Lukavce/Pacov)
Wednesday, May 28. potato soup, bread in Mezno – 43 CZK
lunch in Jistebnice – paid by each one (Jistebnice branch)
Thursday, May 29. borscht soup, bread in Počepice – 51 CZK
cabbage soup at Vysoký Chlumec – 45 CZK
soup in Petrovice – paid by each one (Milevsko branch)
dinner in Krásná Hora (pork with caraway, rice) – 155 CZKFriday, May 30. broth with dumplings, bread in Smolotely – 50 CZK
currently dinner at the Restaurant in Milín by personal choice - paid by each one (170 CZK and more)
please register for the case of dinner at the school cafeteria - paid by each one (up to 150 CZK)
Saturday, May 31. lunch at Holy Mountain (pork roast, cabbage, potato dumpling) – 200 CZK
Accommodation: Sedlec (gymnasium and rectory) – 70 CZK, Kamýk (gymnasium) – 60 CZK, Milín (classrooms, gymnasium) – 100 CZK, Pacov and Mladá Vožice (rectory) – voluntary contribution
Registration fee for adults for the whole pilgrimage from Mladá Vožice and Jistebnice 250 CZK, from Milevsko 100 CZK, from Klučenice 50 CZK, students and children - without registration fee.
(For example, an adult pilgrim from Mladá Vožice will pay for the entire pilgrimage for 4 days 818 CZK,
from Jistebnice 775 CZK + lunch in Jistebnice separately, from Milevsko for 3 days 450 CZK + soup in Petrovice separately, from Klučenice for 2 days 400 CZK. Dinners will not be provided anywhere this year, you can use restaurants and convenience stores.
Those interested in returning from Holy Mountain to Mladá Vožice will be transported by cars. If you can offer a free spot in your car for the return, please mention it when registering.
Do you want to help with something during the pilgrimage? You will definitely find your place. Right now, we are looking for 2 – 3 girls to prepare breakfasts. You can bring homemade spreads or bake something more durable for snacks – please arrange with Maruška Dvořáková by May 20 - 723 637 177.
And now you just need to think about what your feet will pray for, because a pilgrimage without intention is not a pilgrimage. You can also bring written requests from your loved ones; we will carry those as well.
On behalf of the entire preparatory team, we wish you all the best and look forward to our shared pilgrimage
- Vojtěch Blažek, Jiří Klimeš, and Helena Knotková
